Cops and Robbers
by chels9845
Summary: Elena Gilbert, an NYPD detective, had to be an FBI agent. She would stop at nothing to achieve her goal. Including going undercover and joining the infamous Salvatore Crime Family. This was meant to be a job but what is it about those ice blue eyes that make Elena question it all?
1. Meet Elena

For as long as Elena Gilbert could remember her dream was to be an FBI agent. She could easily remember the days when other children would play cops and robbers and she would insist on being an agent. She was a high achiever; being a detective simply wasn't enough, but she knew that all agents started out that way. As soon as she turned 21, she had joined the NYPD. Starting out as a lowly patrol cop, over the years she worked her way up. Now, 7 years later, she knew it was her time. It had to be. She had the highest arrest and conviction rate in the precinct. She stayed late whenever her captain asked her to. She put herself in life or death situations constantly. She even put up with the casual sexual harassment. And she wasn't just talking about the convicts. So yeah, Elena had worked hard. She knew she had earned that badge. Walking into her precinct bright and early on a Monday morning, she couldn't keep the grin off her face. She had an organized meeting with her Captain, Raul Tanner, and Special Agent Adam Smith. That could only mean one thing. Stepping through the door, she was greeted with the usual scene. Perps in handcuffs, detectives lazing around, and her best friend, Bonnie Bennett. Bonnie was a secretary at the precinct but was in college studying to be a criminologist.

"So, big meeting today" She sing-songed as she walked with me to my desk.

"I know." Elena had to stop myself from screaming.

"You nervous?"

"Nervous? About finally achieving my dream? Nope" Elena proudly stated. She took a quick look at her watch before standing.

"Speaking of which, it's time" She didn't wait for Bonnie's response before nearly running to the Captains office. She politely knocked before letting herself in. She found both men seated and waiting for her. Her captain, Tanner, looked the same as usual. Of Hispanic descent with his 5 o'clock shadow threatening to turn into a full-grown beard at any minute. Smith was a little different: a Caucasian male who appeared to be in his late 40's with a baldhead and large muscles. Yep, definitely FBI

"Detective Gilbert, please take a seat" Tanner motioned to the unoccupied seat adjacent to his desk.

"Now right to business," Smith started and she turned to face the slightly intimidating man.

"We would like you to infiltrate the Salvatore family." He simply stated, like it was no big deal. It was huge deal. First of all, the young detective thought she had come in here to be promoted, not given another undercover assignment. Secondly, the Salvatore family was the largest, most brutal gang in NYC. We found numerous victims of theirs each week and let's just say, it's never pretty.

"I don't mean to be rude sirs, but I thought I was going to make federal agent, not given a UC assignment" She uneasily said, trying not to overstep and blow the entire thing.

"If you do well on this assignment, you will be seriously considered for a position in the FBI." The agent told her. There was no other choice, she had to do this.

"Okay, what's the brief?"

"You will be going undercover as Katarina Petrova, a Bulgarian immigrant. Now, one of our top agents is already in deep and can get you in. As you know, it will be difficult to get them to trust you so, we want you to go after the leader, Damon Salvatore," The agent shoved a file towards her and she opened it up to take a look. The first thing she saw as looked in it was his picture. She had heard that Salvatore was good looking but that was a true understatement. His raven black hair, matched with those piercing, ice blue eyes could make any girl drop to their knees and kiss the ground he walked on. I had to remind myself, he was the bad guy. She ignored the photo and looked at the arrest record. He had over 200 arrests ranging from murder to extortion but none of the charges ever stuck. The witnesses either were killed or mysteriously disappeared.

"How am I meant to get close to him?" She asked, snapping the file shut. The two superior men shared a look before turning to me.

"Ms Gilbert, the reason you were chosen for this assignment was because you are young and beautiful. Salvatore has a thing for pretty brunettes and you're just his type. As soon as he sees you, he will try to manipulate you. You cannot let him, play hard to get, make him keep you around." The agent told me as she took it all in. Not only did she only get this job because of her looks, which was very insulting, she had to become romantically involved with one of the worst criminals the world had ever seen.

"When do I go in?" She had to push my fear aside. She was only one assignment away from agent. She had to do this.

"Tomorrow"


	2. Katerina Petrova

To say Elena was nervous would literally be the understatement of the century. She was currently in the FBI van, which was disguised as a dog wash, which she thought was extremely cliché. She felt naked. She knew the brief said she would have to be stripper at the Salvatore's favourite club but Elena had never worn so little in public. Her bra, which was uncomfortably pushing her breasts to her chin, matched with her mini skirt that she could not bend over in.

"Gilbert, lets go over your identity one more time"

"Go for it" Elena sighed, with an eye roll. It was only the sixtieth time she had done this, and besides, she was a pro. She could remember her identity in her sleep.

"What's your name?"

"Katerina Petrova"

"Where are you from?"

"Originally from Bulgaria, I immigrated to New York when I was 3"

"Do you have any family?"

"No. My parents died in a car crash and no siblings"

"Good Gilbert." Tanner commended. He looked at his watch and returned to meet the nervous gaze of Elena.

"It's time, you ready?" Was she ready? She didn't think she would ever be ready but she had to. She pushed those fears aside and stepped put of the van, trying not to fall as she put all her weight on her tiny, stiletto heels. The New York air was frigid against her olive skin and the wind blew harshly over her as the FBI van zoomed away behind her. She never understood how women could dress so scantly. If she were herself right now, you would find her in her warmest coat with her fluffiest boots. Ironically, she was a born and bred New Yorker who hated the cold. Pushing the frigid temperatures from her mind, she looked up at the club in front of her. _Members Only._ She had never actually set foot into a strip club so she had no idea what to expect, but she could assume that it would be dingy and foul smelling with naked girls earning dollar bills surrounded by truck drivers and sexual offenders. She walked towards the dressing room doors to get ready for her 'shift'. The bouncer let her through but not without looking at her rack first. Her plan was to keep her head down, get dressed and leave the dressing rooms without being noticed by anyone, a fly on the wall, but not everything goes to plan.

"Hi!" Elena had just sat down at a dresser to do a touch of makeup when the blonde girl next to her spoke up.

"You must be the new girl, I'm Caroline." The girl seemed friendly enough with her warm, bubbly smile and her golden locks. She seemed... well… harmless.

"Hi, I'm Katerina" Elena offered a tight smile before turning her head back to the mirror, hoping that was the end of the conversation.

"So have you ever stripped before? I can always smell a newbie. Its like I have a sixth sense for this. Like a gay-dar but for new strippers" The blonde kept rambling on and on.

"Look, I gotta go but nice to meet you Caroline" Elena made a quick departure towards the clothing racks. As she searched the stripper costumes, the first costume was just as bad as the second. She could not wear any of this. She was a detective; she would rather lose her job than wear any of this. She decided maybe her own outfit was scandalous enough. She stepped out of the rooms and into the dark room filled with flashing neon lights. She could barely see two steps in front of her but she could see the strippers, removing their clothes but that was the only thing that matched her original idea on this place. Instead of foul smelling stale tobacco, it smelt like expensive liquor, and instead of truck drivers and sex offenders, there were men in suits with classic good looks surrounding the girls. In addition, instead of one-dollar bills, there were 20's and 50's being thrown around willy-nilly. Scanning the club, her eyes halted when she saw him. His photos definitely didn't do him any justice. His black hair was neatly combed, his chin was covered in a slight, sexy stubble and his eyes, oh his eyes, they felt like they were piercing into her soul. They were so blue, so perfect, so looking right at her. Wait, they were looking at her. He was looking at her. Maybe looking was the wrong word, more like starring. His eyes were fixed on her, starring. Her breath felt like it escaped her entire body and she struggled to regain movement in her body, or to at the very least break the staring contest that seemed to be occurring between the two even though they were on separate sides of the vast club.

"See something you like?" Caroline's voice startled her, she jumped. She could see the handsome man smirk with a slight chuckle at her uneasiness before she turned to face the other female

"Um no. Of course not." Caroline looked unconvinced

"That's Damon Salvatore. Not my cup of tea, I'm more into his brother. My fiancé" Elena followed her stare to the man seated next to Damon. She was so transfixed on the older brother; she didn't even notice the younger. Stefan Salvatore. She had definitely done her research on him. Although a criminal like his brother, he wasn't quite as known. He wasn't the leader of the family like his brother and had not racked up as many arrests but he was still a criminal in his own right. Damon handled most of the big stuff like assassinations of leaders and extortion, the big cases, while Stefan handled most of the mundane crime such as drug distribution and assaults. Elena was drawn back from her thoughts about something Caroline had said. Fiancé? She hadn't read about that. Maybe being this girl's friend could help her.

"You're getting married to his brother? Wow, congrats" Elena congratulated the bubbly girl but still refused to break way from her view of the criminal family

"Want me to introduce you?" It was time

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 **So hey there, been a while but for these past few months I have been developing this story and been writing a lot so I have many new chapters lined up. You guys wanna see them? Review please :)**


	3. The Glorious Man

The walk towards the intimidating men was daunting to say the least, Damon still refused to look away from the young brunette, staring her down as she shyly followed behind Caroline like a lost puppy. Elena felt… naked, even standing next to Caroline, who was wearing 10 times less than she. With each step towards the Salvatore's, Elena's heart began to speed up. She had to do this for herself. The terrifying walk ended as the two girls approached the men. Caroline threw herself down on Stefan's lap while Elena stood awkwardly alone, still under Damon's critical stare.

"Boys this is Katerina, isn't she pretty? She just started work tonight"

"Katerina what?" Damon questioned, still staring her down

"Petrova" Elena answered, trying to not break cover

"Take a seat Miss Petrova" Damon offered her a seat on the leather couch next tp him, which she nervously obliged

"So Miss Petrova," Damon leaned in closer to the girl in order to deliver the gentle whisper in her ear,

"Who are you?" Elena's whole body froze. He knew. She had blown her cover, not only had she ruined her career, he could kill her. He was known to kill cops who tried to infiltrate his gang.

"P-pardon me?" Elena's lip quivered with fear

"Tell me about yourself" Damon offered a seemingly friendly smile in response, alleviating

"Well I'm from Connecticut, single mother, moved to New York to make something of myself and here I am" Damon continued to stare without saying a word, making Elena think she had somehow messed up her perfectly rehearsed identity

"I like you, Miss Petrova" Damon smirked, before caressing her hand and bringing it to his lips, placing a small kiss on it. Even from that slight touch, Elena could feel something, she didn't know what. She supposed maybe it was the fear or adrenaline reacting to his movement. His presence was making her dizzy. His cologne was overpowering but in a good way, she found it completely intoxicating. As she stared into those baby blue eyes, they pulled her in. The only reason their second intense stare was broken was because of one of Damon's henchmen leaning down and whispering something unknown to Elena in his boss's ear.

"Well I have to apologise Miss Petrova, but I have an important manner to attend to." Damon explained. Something in Elena sunk, like maybe the butterflies in her stomach had been shot, but why did she feel like this?

"Oh, um, well it was nice meeting you Mr. Salvatore"

"The pleasure was all mine" And with those last words, he departed the club out of a back door with his two henchmen following. Elena sat there, stunned by the glorious man until she came back to reality. She was a cop. She was a professional. She refused to become another woman that Damon Salvatore used and abused. She was here to do her job. Speaking of her job, without Damon's intoxicating aroma clouding her vision she noticed some very troubling facts. Damon, a crime family leader, had left a dingy strip club with two threatening henchmen out the back door which led to a dark alley. Her suspicions now raised, Elena left the club through the front door, hurriedly pushing past grabby men trying to make their way into the facility. Elena headed towards the exit of the alley, out of sight, keeping a close hand on her concealed gun strapped to her thigh as she slowly approached the alleyway. She could here raised voices, one of the very familiar crime lord and some poor fella begging for his life. She had to stop this, an innocent man was to be murdered in front of her. She was just about to make a move, attempt to create some sort of distraction or call for backup. The sound of a loaded gun trigger being pushed right behind her made her stop in her tracks. She was done for. Elena remained completely still, raising her hands in innocence.

"Well, what do we have here?" A gruff voice demanded, it was Damon's henchman.

"I- I'm just a stripper, please I didn't do anything" Elena persisted

"Move" The gun rammed into her back, pushing her forward, towards the alley.

"Found this pretty little thing lurking around the alleyway boss" Elena was pushed towards Damon and the man she assumed was about to die

"Well, well, well, Miss Petrova. Spying are we?" Damon smirked, moving his gun from the other man towards her. She tried to think back to all of her police training and prepping on what to do when in this situation but she came up blank. If she pulled her gun, she would be shot. If she tried to call from back up, she'd be shot. If she ran, she'd be shot.

"I didn't know that-" Elena began but was cut off by Damon hushing her

"Shush pretty girl" Damon slowly stepped forward, each step drawing him menacingly closer to Elena. He raised his hand to brush some of her brunette hair away from her forehead but bringing his hand down to caress her cheek and stroke it with his thumb.

"Such a pity, I actually liked you" Damon stared at her for one more second before taking her hand away and nodding at his man. The next thing she knew, something hard hit the back of her head and she blacked out, dropping.

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	4. His Pet

Her eyes felt so heavy, too heavy to open. She couldn't remember what had happened. She could feel soft sheets beneath her and a comfy pillow resting underneath her head. She deduced she was in a bed but it didn't feel like hers. The department had given her a shitty apartment in Queens, which came with a shitty bed, nothing nowhere as comfortable as what she as currently resting on. So where was she? She tried to think back. Undercover. Strip club. Salvatore. He had attacked her, sending her into darkness. He had caught her. She thought she was dead but surely death didn't feel like this. She forced her eyes to open, her vision starting off as blurry before coming 20/20 again. As she looked around the room, she couldn't help but let out an internal gasp. The room was covered in gold accents accompanied by a dazzling chandelier. All this decadence felt strange to her but she knew exactly the kind of person who would own such an over the top room. Damon Salvatore. She must be in his house, in his guest room, but why? He had her in his sights, he had caught her snooping on him and had clearly found her gun considering her bosom was now empty. Why had he not killed her there and then? She had to escape. Slowly standing to her feet, she took in her appearance. She was no longer in her lingerie that the club provided. She was dressed in a button-down shirt, probably a men's shirt, along with her underwear. She felt next to naked. Elena Gilbert was the kind of girl who felt naked wearing anything less than jeans. She knew that Salvatore probably thought she would be comfortable considering she was now Katerina Petrova who was a stripper. Salvatore. His name in her mind brought her back to reality. She was trapped in his home and had to get out. She opened the door, peaking her head and finding nobody there. She ran. Elena ran faster than she had in her entire life. She knew her police training told her to do the exact opposite but she was in danger, her mind told her to run so she did. She managed to make it to the front door unseen and tried to rip the door open to run to freedom but was instead met with a locked door.

"Miss Petrova, leaving so soon?" Her whole body froze. She recognized the sultry, yet dangerous voice of Damon Salvatore. Spinning to face him, she found him standing at the top of the staircase, but surprisingly he had no men around him like he usually did

"Let me go" She tried to sound strong, but her voice instead came out shaky and full of insecurities. Damon smirked in response, indicating he knew she was afraid

"Now, why would I do that?" He smirked, heading towards the stairs, stepping down one step at a time

"Because I want to go home"

"That won't be happening" Damon responded, reaching the bottom of the steps, slowly making his way towards her

"Why not?" Elena asked, she never thought she would be in this position. She was a cop, so why did this man make her feel so scared? She was trained to deal with this but nothing could have trained her for Damon Salvatore.

"Because while you were sleeping-"

"Knocked out by you" Elena interjected. She couldn't help herself. Damon stared at her for short moment, a smirk playing on his lips. She wasn't sure if that meant he liked her feistiness or he was about to kill her. She could never read him so far.

"I had my men go to your apartment. I hear it was very sad"

"Well unfortunately not all of us can afford to live in obnoxious million dollar mansions" She snapped. She didn't think she was going to get out of this alive, so what the hell? Her retort earned her a chuckle from him, not exactly the response she was expecting. This strangeness bought her back to what was happening, including the fact that he was standing so close to her, it was so intimidating yet she didn't feel quite as afraid as she should. She was in Katerina Petrova mode, she wasn't scared of anything.

"Like I said before Miss Petrova, I like you and I'm going to keep you" He smirked once again, something she had realized he constantly did.

"Keep me? I'm not a pet" She crossed her arms, trying to seem strong but his proximity honestly intimidated her but she couldn't decide in which way

"You're mine now" She flinched when his hand came into contact with her cheek, not to injure her but to cup her face

"You will live here from now on" His eyes bore into hers, her whole body freezing. He stroked his thumb over her cheekbone and she noticed his mind seemed vacant, somewhere else before his eyes snapped back to hers and he dropped his hand, taking a step back.

"You will live in the room you were in when you awoke and if you try to escape again, I will not hesitate to kill you" He told her before he turned around, leaving. Everything hit her at once, she was stuck here, living in a house with the most dangerous man in the city while working as an undercover cop. She was a cop. She was a police officer… who hadn't checked in in days. She ran back to the room she came from, trying to find a phone or something to contact her superiors on, which she thankfully found in the form of a landline in her room. Dialing the number she was given in case of an emergency she breathed a sigh of relief hearing the line be picked

"Who is this?" The voice she recognized as …

"Elena Gilbert"

"Ah, Miss Gilbert, you missed your check-in last night"  
"I know but Damon Salvatore caught me snooping and knocked me out. I woke up in his home and he told me I'm now his pet and I can't leave. You have to do something" She begged

"Now Miss Gilbert, don't you see? This is perfect. You are stuck inside the house of the person you are investigating. He obviously hasn't caught you out yet because you are still alive. He wants you, this gives us a leg up. Stay there and from now on you will check-in every week for a short period but you will do your job" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was being told to stay there and be this killer's pet. He could kill her at any moment

"Are you kidding me? What if he kills me?"

"He wont. He likes you. This is your job Officer Gilbert. If you can't handle it, maybe you shouldn't be a cop let alone an FBI agent."

"Miss Petrova" A voice behind her made her jump and slam the phone back down on the receiver. She turned around to see Stefan Salvatore

"I didn't mean to disturb you but my brother would like to see you in order to set out some rules" The younger brother informed her

"Rules? Your brother will never own me" She groaned through clenched teeth. She was a human being, not a dog. Stefan simply chuckled in response. Why did these brothers always laugh at her when she was trying to be tough?

"You're feisty. Just my brothers type, come along" Stefan exited her room and Elena took a breath before following him.

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 **Hi guys, it's been way too long but I hope you're all still with me. I know this chapter is quite boring but it had to be included. Next chapter will begin the action packed romance side of this story so bear with me. What did you guys think? Please submit any ideas you have for this story because I'm always looking for more ideas in order to keep this story going! Review!**

 **Thank for sticking with me!**


	5. NEW STORY ALERT

**Hey guys,**

 **I have uploaded a brand new story I have been working on for a long time, so please feel free to check it out because I have put some much effort into this story :). I will be updating this story as soon as I possibly can as I am having writers block, please bare with me. If you can't wait to read a new chapter of this story, get into my new one.**

 **Thanks for all the love guys xxxx**


	6. Her Protector

Elena moved cautiously behind the younger Salvatore brother, unsure of where he was leading her. Looking around, she was greeted with an unfamiliar hallway that was lined with artwork. Everything in this house felt so expensive to her. Even with her parents working themselves to the bone in her childhood, she had never experienced living or even being in a house of this stature. It honestly took her breathe away and if she hadn't kept reminding herself she was in the Salvatore mansion, she would have been impressed. Artwork had always fascinated her. Her little brother, Jeremy, was an artist studying in Paris. The only good thing about that for her was the fact that he was so far away from this mess. There was no way Salvatore could use him against her. As she continued down the hall, she was overwhelmed with a sense of uncertainty. She was the type of girl who was always in control of her own life and what went on in it so not knowing what was going to happen next made her uneasy and anxious. As she followed the Salvatore down the hall, she slowed her movements down slowly as her captor's brother stopped in front a set of grand, double doors painted gold… or maybe they were actually real gold, it wouldn't surprise her. The doors swung open and Stefan stepped to the side, with his arm extended, motioning her to walk into the room. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she tip-toed around the corner, and her mouth dropped in shock and awe as she saw into the room. The chandelier that hung above the grand, mahogany dining table was the most spectacular thing that she had ever seen with rows and rows of diamonds littering it. Her eyes moved around the room, taking in the gold walls and the red rug that was placed on the floor. Her smile dropped however, when she noticed who was sitting at the head of the table facing her. Damon Salvatore. He was casually eating his meal as he read a newspaper in front of him, looking as though he had yet to recognize her standing there.

"Miss Petrova, please take a seat." Damon stated, without raising his gaze. She heard the door behind her close and she realized that Stefan had left the two alone. She didn't know if the lack of backup on his part made her feel better or worse. One the one hand, she didn't have numerous men surrounding her, watching her, threatening to kill her by one simple movement from the Salvatore's hand, but on the other hand, she was stuck here, alone, with Damon Salvatore, the scariest man in New York City. When she made no move to take a seat at the other end of the table, already set for her, Damon's eyes moved to the figure in front of him. Her arms folded over her chest, her gaze hard and mean on him. He sighed and motioned for her to sit

"You gotta eat sometime" He tried to reason but she made no steps to sitting down

"Yes. But preferably my own food… in my own apartment… by myself" She sniped back. She had expected something back from him, some threat or angry words but nothing of the sort came. He simply smirked. There was something about her that made him fill with curiosity. She was tough. She was beautiful. She was his.

"Uh yes, that crappy studio apartment in Queens? Funny, when I checked, there was next to no food in that place." Her heart sank. They had gone to her apartment? Thankfully, it was the one given to her by the FBI and not her real home but she still felt like she had been violated. As she continued to glare at him, never breaking her poker face, he raised an eyebrow up at her. He wanted her to sit. She sighed, taking the seat that was set for her but she her arms remained crossed and her gaze remained stony and cold as she scowled at him from across the table. Damon seemed to accept that and went back to reading his newspaper and continuing his meal as Elena's sat there, cold and untouched.

"Did you hear about that murder in Brooklyn? Terrible tragedy. I think he had his tongue cut out, must've been-" Elena abruptly cut him off. She had been the one to go to that scene and she knew this was a test. The man sitting in front of her had done that to the victim and numerous others. She was not going to be joining that group of people before her

"What do you want with me?" She asked harshly. Damon stopped reading, simply staring at her for a few seconds before sighing and putting his paper down, along with his fork.

"Katerina-" He began

"Don't call me that" She rudely demanded. Sure, it wasn't her real name, but this scum did not even get that right to call her by a fictional name

"Miss Petrova," He tried again and when he didn't receive a backlash, he continued,

"I brought you here because I like you" Elena was sure her confusion was written across her face. Damon stood from his chair and moved towards her end of the table. Her heart began racing and she moved over in her seat as he sat at the seat right next to her, leaning in.

"I like you, Katerina. You're tough, I like it." He further explained. She was too shocked to correct him on calling her Katerina. Then that shock turned to anger.

"So you knocked me out and kidnapped me, forcing me to stay here with you, because you like me?!" She angrily yelled, standing from her seat.

"You took me from my friends, my family-"

"What friends and family?" Damon wondered calmly, also raising from his seat, making sure he was inches from her.

"I had a life!" She yelled back, her anger overpowering her fear at his proximity.

"Yeah? You were a stripper living in a rundown apartment in a bad neighborhood. You had no pictures of friends and family in your apartment. I saved you" He responded. She was absolutely horrified. Save her? Did he really think he had saved her? Her anger had reached boiling point and it took over. Her arm seemed to move without her permission, the anger controlling it and placed a heavy, loud slap across the gang leader's face. She watched his hand rotate slightly from the impact as she felt the stinging on her hand. She was now scared again but she couldn't show it. She kept her face emotionless as his head slowly returned to its previous place facing her. She waited for something to happen, for her own slap to come but nothing came. Instead, Damon's face gave her a small smile

"Another reason I like you; you're feisty." His voice was calm but she felt her anger return slightly. He liked her because she slapped him? Who was this guy? She opened her mouth to retort but her words were cut short abruptly by a distinctive, loud pop. Elena's eyes widened at that noise. She had heard that sound many, many times in her life, especially in her career. Gunshot. She quickly dropped to the floor and hid under the table, something her training had taught her. Plus, common sense. She looked up at Damon and watched as he made no move to join her. Suddenly, Stefan burst back through the doors

"Brother, they're here" His voice seemed off, like he was worried. Who was they? Damon nodded at his brother and Stefan took off running. Damon turned around, crouching down the face Elena

"Run to your room. Lock the door, stay there, do not come out. You hear me?" He instructs and she nods her head in understanding. Damon extended his hand to her, helping her stand. He kept a firm hold on her hand as they hurried towards the door. He only let go of her hand when they were in the hallway.

"Go, I'll protect you" He told her before he took off in the direction of his brother and the front door. Elena took the chance and did as told, she ran to her room, locking it behind her and pushing a nearby empty cabinet up against it for good measure. As she took in a few breathes to calm herself down, she let herself fully process what had just happened. They're here? Who was here? She could think of a thousand people that had come up in her research that had a motive to break in here and kill the infamous gang leader she had just met with. The man who had said he would protect her. It was a strange feeling for her, she had always protected herself and her family. Her little brother was always commenting that she was the mother hen, protecting her chicks from danger. Having someone look after her was not something she was accustomed to… and she couldn't help but relish in it. She didn't have to protect anyone this time, not even herself. She looked back towards the door, reality coming back to her. No, she had to protect herself. She couldn't trust that monster, no matter how much her body was telling her she could. She was going to protect herself and get her job done. She was going down there.

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 **Hey guys, boy its been a while and for that I apologise. My laptop had a meltdown and I lost this entire story and the many chapters I had written :( But I'm back! I'm ready to update every Wednesday if i can, just like my other story 'Two is Better than One', please go give that story your love as well. Reviews for more :)**


	7. The Rival Family

Shoving the cabinet out of the way and practically ripping the lock off the door, Elena Gilbert slowly exited the safe confines of her temporary bedroom at the Salvatore Mansion. The house was quiet, something she hadn't expected after just hearing a gunshot echo through its halls. As quickly as she could, she moved down the hall and towards the front door.

"Well, you're not welcome here, you know that" She heard Damon's voice as she peered around a wall to see the front door. She had to hold in a gasp when she saw the picture she was faced with and everything made sense. Damon was standing just in front of the grand staircase, his men surrounding him but his opponent also had men, ready to kill. His opponent was also Klaus Mikaelson. Sure, she had heard of him. The Mikaelson's were the other large scale family gang in the NYC, but they fell short in comparison to the Salvatore's. Their family gang had run for much less generations than the Salvatore's and they didn't have quite as many members as the Salvatore gang, even with there being five Mikaelson siblings. Klaus was the leader, although he wasn't the oldest, he just had the most drive and passion for the job, much like Damon.

"I just thought we'd come pop in and say hello" Klaus sarcastically remarked as Elena continued to watch the scene in front of her

"Yeah, well, saying hello doesn't require you shooting up my home" Damon responded, taking a few menacing steps towards the other gang leader

"That was me announcing my presence"

"Most people use the doorbell" This battle of wits was becoming too much for her, she needed to know why they were here.

"I guess I have to work on my manners" `Klaus mused as he took the chance to scan the room. She made sure to quickly duck behind the wall, out of sight, before Klaus' eyes met hers.

"Anyway, I just came for a friendly chat, mate" She heard Klaus inform

"Chats over" Damon voice was hostile, protective. She heard movement from downstairs, indicating the inevitable exit of Klaus and his gang so she took that chance to poke her head back out. She watched as Klaus made his way to the door but she held her breath as he turned back around to face Damon

"I like your new toy" And then Klaus' eyes met hers directly. He had seen her. She froze in place, unable to move under his harsh gaze. He smirked at her slightly which just made her feel nauseous. Damon's head whipped around to hers and her eyes met his for a brief moment. She wasn't sure what she read in his eyes. Disappointment? Anger? Whatever it was, he did not look impressed. Finally, she felt her body work again and she ran. She ran back into her room, slamming the door shut. Her breathing was hard and fast as he leaned against the door for support. She felt sick to her stomach. She wasn't one for being scared but she knew what Klaus did to UC cops when he smelt them out and she knew if he did his research, she was dead. A loud bang on the other side of the door startled her thoughts and she jumped in place. Placing a hand over her racing heart, she slowly opened the door, peeking her head out and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Stefan standing there. She never thought she would feel relieved to see a member of the Salvatore family.

"My brother wants to see you" And just like that, she no longer felt safe in the protection of the Salvatore clan. She debated slamming the door in his face, anything to get out of this predictably horrible meeting. She went over every possible scenario to get out of this situation in her head, but drew a blank.

"It wasn't a request" Stefan sharply told her after she had obviously taken too long to answer. He turned his back, walking back down the hall and she knew she had no choice. She mustered all her strength and followed him out the door. They walked past the expensive art again and big fancy chandelier that graced the ceiling above them but she wasn't in awe this time, too afraid to be in awe she supposed. She slowed her movements slowly when they past the dining room, never entering it. Where was he taking her? She didn't have to wait too long to find out as Stefan stopped in front of grand door, but this one was less fancy than all the others. This one was wooden and brown but still magnificent in size and detail. She stood in front of the door, her mind and body refusing to allow her to enter

"He hasn't got all day" Stefan's snappy tone reminded her of where she was. She had to go in. Taking a silent, slow breath, she pushed to door open, walking inside slowly. The scene in front of her was nothing like she expected. She was in a library but not just any old library. Books covered every wall in the room and she felt her mouth fall at the collection, he must have every book ever made to fill a room as large as this. As her eyes happily scanned the room, they stopped dead when she saw a magnificent fireplace burning but that wasn't why she her smile had turned, it was the man seated in front of it drinking a glass of bourbon.

"You know, what you did tonight was incredibly stupid" She heard his emotionless voice speak, his body never turning to face hers.

"Yeah, well, maybe I am incredibly stupid" She lamely retorted. He didn't know her, she could easily pretend to be daft and still get all the information she needed. Her eyebrows furrowed as she heard him let out a scoff.

"No. You're not. You're incredibly bright which is why I can't wrap my head around why would you directly disobey me."

"Disobey you?! I'm not a dog Damon" Now she was pissed, this man was not her master, she didn't have to listen to him. She controlled her own life.

"I know that."

"Then why are you treating me like one? If you brought me here just to be your pet then- "

"Do you know why I brought you here?" His voice cut her off and she watched as he placed his glass down on the end table nearby.

"Because you enjoy to kidnapping helpless women to make them your slaves?" She sarcastically guessed. He stood from his chair, walking towards her slowly. Usually, she would be terrified with his slow movements towards her, like an animal stalking its prey, but for some reason, he didn't look menacing, she wasn't afraid, she was standing her ground.

"No. It's because you remind me of someone I once knew. She was feisty just like you but she didn't have your wit"

"So, I remind you of another one of your toys? That's why you brought me against my will?"

"I brought you here because I couldn't help her. She destroyed herself and I won't let that happen to you

"What makes you think I'm destructive?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She had her life together, if anyone in this room is destructive, its him.

"I met you while you were working in a strip club, your apartment is a piece of shit and you are just one step away from walking the streets and selling that tight body to the highest bidder"

"Excuse me?!" Her anger was at that point again, she was so close to just unleashing all her attack training on this asshole

"You know it's true." He shrugged nonchalantly and she took a moment to think. She was playing a character and from her experience in the police force, she knew that that was how most girls ended up so she couldn't really dispute it. Remaining quiet, she placed her arms over her chest defiantly and diverted her eyes from his. As soon as she had though, he placed his hands gently underneath her chin, giving it a soft push to the left, making her eyes reconnect with his. She stared into his ice blue eyes, which sent a chill done her spine and made her body tingle.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I will protect you" His voice sounded determined and she couldn't help but let herself believe him for just a moment. But that moment didn't last and she was sent crashing back down to reality. She remembered who she really was. She was Elena Gilbert, and she had a job to do. She pushed his hand away from her chin and broke their strong eye contact, taking a step back in the process

"Who says I need your protection? I could just as easily protect myself from my own apartment" She answered as he scoffed again in response

"Klaus will have you dead before you even reach your apartment. No, you're staying here under my watchful eye, you are not to leave my sight" This time it was her turn to scoff, and she added an eye roll in there

"Whatever" She sighed

"You're giving in? Just like that? What happened to feisty Kat?" He looked shocked with one eyebrow raised and his voice confused

"She's tired" Elena bluntly replied, ignoring his new nickname for her alter ego, before turning around and opening the door, ready to head back to her room

"Where are you going?" He asked and she sighed once more before turning back to him

"To my room"

"I don't think so. You'll be staying in my room until Klaus is no longer a threat" What?!

"No. That is extremely unnecessary"

"Big words for someone so stupid" He retorted with a smirk but it dropped when he saw her stony, unamused face.

"Look, Klaus could strike at any moment and I know the guy, he likes to work at night so all it would take is for you to be asleep, unguarded in your room for you to be dead. I'm trying to protect you, whether you like it or not" She knew he had a point. Like most gangs, Klaus operated at night, all his victims slaughtered in the dead of night.

"You know what, fine, which room?" She asked, her voice defeated. She was too tired to fight at this point; this day had been one of the longest days in her life and she just wanted to sleep it off.

"Follow me, my lady" He walked past her rolling eyes and out the door. She trailed behind as he lead her down the hallway, in the opposite direction of her room. After walking the halls for a few moments, Damon stopped and pushed open a set of doors, revealing his room. She tried not to be taken aback, like every other time she found a new room, but it was hard not to. The first thing to catch her attention was the huge king size, four poster bed standing tall in the middle of the room. It was definitely the biggest bed she had ever seen and she could only think of how comfortable it was with its Egyptian cotton sheets.

"You wanna test it out?" His voice broke her stare and she looked to him

"Really?" She tried not to sound too excited about the prospect but she was sure she had failed. He nodded his head in approval and her face lit up into a smile. Taking a running start, she happily bounced on the bed, immediately sinking into the most comfortable thing she had ever been on.

"This is amazing" She giggled happily, sitting up to look at a smiling Damon.

"Glad you like it" She scanned the room and was a bit surprised by it. The room was quaint. A desk here, a few books there. It was just like every other bedroom but probably about 10 times bigger.

"Not what you were expecting?" He asked as he stood by one of his drawers

"Not really. I think I was expecting a room made of gold" He laughed in response as he turned around to look at her, clutching something in his hand.

"Yeah, it's a bit excessive, but my mother liked gold" She noticed his face turn for a moment when he said 'mother' and she knew it meant something, something he clearly didn't want to talk about.

"Here" He sent the item in his hand into the air, tossing it on the bed. She picked it up and saw it was one of his shirts, presumably for her to sleep in. She looked to the right and saw the bathroom, hurrying to reach it to change. As she stepped foot into the bathroom, she again, had to hold back her amazement but damn, that bathtub looked heavenly. Looking into the mirror, staring back at her own reflection, she tried to compose herself. Everything that had happened was slowly setting in and she was feeling uneasy. None of this had gone to the plan they had discussed. She was meant to stay at the apartment they had given her and get intel from afar and now she was in the exact opposite situation and she wasn't sure how to handle it. She knew she would get a lot of information from being so close to the target but Elena really didn't know if she had it in her to stay here, with this man who she knew was a monster and continue to do her job. She couldn't exactly ask for a replacement now and her whole career was riding on this. Pushing her fear aside was the only thing that was going to help her. She was Elena Gilbert, or rather Katerina Petrova. She could do this. Releasing one final, relaxing breath, a now composed Elena began to undress before replacing her discarded clothing with Damon's shirt. As she put it over her hand, she inhaled his scent. She couldn't quite place what it was. She supposed he had that strong scent that all males seemed to have but there was something else in there, something so intoxicating she couldn't help taking in a deep breath every time just so she could smell it again.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the floor" Damon told her as she stepped out of the bathroom into the now dark room, ready for bed.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's your bed"

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a beautiful woman sleep on the floor?" She had to prevent herself from scoffing at the word 'gentleman'. In her opinion, gentleman didn't kill dozens of people every day. Hoping into the bed, she let herself finally relax.

"Goodnight Kat" Those words were the last of the day before she fell into a slumber.

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 **A/N: I'm backkkk just like I promised. Thank you all so much for the reviews, I love you all, and I have listened. I made this chapter about 1000 words longer than my past few so I hope this keeps you all satisfied until next week. Also, please go check out my other story 'Two is Better Than One', it needs a little love right now. Review, review, review :)**


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